Swimming in pools guidelines updated
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 7, 29 September 2023, page no. 20
The Swimming in Pools CARA guidelines have been updated following the WorkSafe Queensland safety alert “Two swimming pool drownings and one near drowning” (https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/news-and-events/alerts/incident-alerts/2023/two-swimming-pool-drownings-and-one-near-drowning), which highlighted a near-drowning of a student participating in a regular school swimming lesson who was found unconscious in the shallow end of the pool. Initial findings of recent incident investigations and possible control measures were provided to prevent similar incidents occurring.
As a result, the CARA Guideline for Swimming in Pools (https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/stages-of-schooling/CARA/activity-guidelines/swimming-in-pools) has had seven changes. It is important to actively review school practices in relation to swimming in pools, particularly in relation to these seven changes.
- Informing pool operators about participants’ level of confidence and skills in the water.
- Preparing supervision plans to prevent drowning.
- Testing participant confidence and skills in the water.
- Defining active and direct supervision.
- Keeping students under five within arm’s reach.
- Preventing misuse of swimming attire or equipment.
- Encouraging high-visibility swimming attire, NOT attire that matches the colour of the pool.
The revisions to the guideline were recommended to reflect advice from:
- Worksafe Queensland’s Safety Alert for swimming pool managers
- Worksafe Victoria charges laid against the Victorian Department of Education.
The Queensland Department of Education also received correspondence from Royal Life Saving Society Queensland (RLSSQ) highlighting that the Victorian Department of Education has been charged with breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a 2021 drowning of a Year 2 student. It is our understanding that Worksafe Victoria alleges that the school failed to inform the pool operators of the children’s swimming abilities or test them.
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) allows for the prosecution of the Department of Education as the person conducting the business or undertaking (PCBU), its senior officers and individual workers. In 2018, a private school employing authority and a secondary science teacher were prosecuted in the magistrates court after a 2014 science week activity led to a chemical incident. Findings were made against both the employing authority and the individual teacher and fines were issued. In March this year, a museum’s WHS officer was sentenced for breaching section 32 of the WHS Act for failing to comply with their primary health and safety duty. The specific cases are published on Work Health and Safety Queensland’s website under prosecutions.
For further information, please contact CARA@qed.qld.gov.au